This wonderful couple made an astounding 14 films together, making them one of Hollywood's most prolific couples. They first paired up in 1934's Manhattan Melodrama, alongside Clark Gable. Their scenes together showed natural born chemistry and MGM quickly paired them up for the classic film The Thin Man. Their witty banter as fun loving couple Nick and Nora Charles was such a huge hit, they made 5 more sequels over the next 13 years. And it's one of the most beloved film series of all time. You see them progress from recently married to Nora giving birth to Nick Jr to meeting Nick's family and so on. And you cared about them through-out the entire series.
In between The Thin Man films, Powell and Loy would make several other films including Best Picture winner of 1936 The Great Ziegeld, Evelyn Prentice, Love Crazy, Double Wedding and the classic screwball farce Libeled Lady, co-starring Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow. For their last film together, Loy turned up in a cameo as Powell's wife in the final scene of The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947). For her one day of work, Loy received a brand new cadillac and the final screen pairing of her and Powell was done.
Powell and Loy made 13 of their 14 films for MGM and one for Universal. Their 13 films at MGM are a record a screen team making major studio pictures. And they set the standard for fun loving married couples that would grace the big and small screens for years to come. Powell himself tried different variations of Nick Charles with other actresses such as Ginger Rogers in Star Of Midnight (1935) and Jean Arthur in The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936). And while those are two good films with solid leading women, they are no Thin Man and no Myrna Loy. It just shows that the chemistry Powell and Loy had together was amazing. And it's no slam toward Rogers or Arthur. I mean Ginger and Fred would dance circles around Powell and Loy in a musical because that was their strength. And Jean was positively sensational when paired with Jimmy Stewart. Anyway, I would rank Powell and Loy as my 2nd favorite screen couple of all time, right behind Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. Good company to be in.
Libeled Lady(1936). Comedy. Cast: Jean Harlow, William Powell (who were romantically involved at the time), Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy. The movie was written by George Oppenheimer, Howard Emmett Rogers, Wallace Sullivan and Maurine Dallas Watkins, and directed by Jack Conway.
Libeled Lady was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film was remade in 1946 as Easy to Wed with Esther Williams, Van Johnson, and Lucille Ball.
Wealthy Connie Allenbury is falsely accused of breaking up a marriage and sues the New York Evening Star newspaper for libel. Warren Haggerty, the chief editor, turns to reporter and ladies man Bill Chandler for help.
Bill comes up with a plan, to be alone with Connie when his "wife" shows up, the suit will have to be dropped. Bill is not really married, so Warren has his neglected fiancee, Gladys Benton, play the part, which she is not to happy about.
Bill returns to America from England on the same ocean liner as Connie and her father J. B.. He pays some men to pose as reporters and harass Connie at the dock, so that he can "rescue" her. Connie believes that he is just a fortune hunter after her money, but Bill quickly wins her trust.
The plan falls apart when Connie and Bill actually fall in love. They get married, but Gladys interrupts their honeymoon to reclaim her husband. Bill reveals that he found out that Gladys' Mexican divorce wasn't valid, but then Gladys tops him. She got a second divorce and she and Bill are really man and wife. Will Connie and Bill manage to convince Gladys that she's really in love with Warren?
I always love to see a performance of Powell and Loy together, they really seem to enjoy each others company. Tracy, is wonderful as always. There are many amusing character actors, in this film. The film offers humor and gorgeous sets and costumes. Harlow, also gave a wonderful zany performance in this film.
Fun Facts:
Lionel Barrymore was originally cast as Mr. Allenbury while Rosalind Russell was originally considered to play Connie Allenbury.
Harlow wanted to play Connie Allenbury, so that her character and Powell's would wind up together. MGM insisted, however, that the film be another William Powell-Myrna Loy movie, as they originally intended. Harlow had already signed on to do the film but had to settle for the role of Gladys Benton. As Gladys, top-billed Harlow got to play a wedding scene with Powell. During filming, Harlow changed her legal name.
The fifth of fourteen films pairing William Powell and Myrna Loy.
Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940), who performed in almost fifty films between 1914 and 1939. His first film performance came in two silent films, The Marked Woman (1914) and A Soldier's Oath (1915), and a talkie in 1930, Many Happy Returns, but his Hollywood film career really began in 1932, when he performed in four films. His trademark role was that of a business tycoon or newspaperman, often as the father of the female lead character, as in It Happened One Night (1934) with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, Broadway Bill (1934), supporting Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy; and Libeled Lady (1936) with William Powell and Loy again. Other notable roles included the worthless uncle of Paul Muni's character in, The Good Earth (1937) and one of the two con men encountered by Mickey Rooney's, Huckleberry Finn in, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939). Connolly was particularly memorable as General Yen's American advisor in, The Bitter Tea of General Yen.
Connolly mostly played supporting roles, but starred occasionally, as Nero Wolfe in The League of Frightened Men (1937), 5th Ave Girl(1939), opposite Ginger Rogers and as the title character in, The Great Victor Herbert (1939), his last film.
The Thin Man(1934). Cast: William Powell and Myrna Loy. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, the film was directed by W.S. Van Dyke from a script by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich the screenplay was based on the mystery novel, The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett, based on his relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman. Also performing in the film: Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Cesar Romero and Porter Hall.
When Dorothy Wynant shares with her father that she plans to marry, he takes off on a business trip, promising to return in time for her wedding. When Wynant does not return, Dorothy becomes worried. When Mimi goes to see, Wynant's mistress, she finds her dead, holding Wynant's watch chain.
Soon, Retired detective Nick Charles and his wife Nora are on the case. Wynant quickly becomes the prime suspect, but his daughter Dorothy does not believe he did it. She convinces Nick to take the case. Between very charmingly funny dialog, the couple tries to piece things together.
Fun Fact: The second of fourteen films pairing William Powell and Myrna Loy.
The Thin Man is a fast paced, stylish film. If you are interested in period fashions you will want to view this film. William Powell and Myrna Loy have amazing on screen chemistry.
Skippy aka Asta (born 1931 or 1932; retired 1939) was a Wire-Haired Fox Terrier. He is best known as "Asta" in the comedy The Thin Man, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Skippy's name was changed to Asta after the first, Thin Man film was released.
Other Films starring Skippy:
The Thin Man (1934) The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935) The Lottery Lover (1935) It's a Small World (1935) The Daring Young Man Sea Racketeers (1937) The Awful Truth (1937) Bringing Up Baby (1938) I Am the Law (1938) Topper Takes a Trip (1939)
I mentioned to Dawn that we would concentrate on dramas during this month here on Noir and Chick Flicks. She agreed and I figured we would focus on some of the classic great dramas of all time. Dramas that focused on family life, married life, dramas dealing with important issues such as race, women's rights, medical dramas, prison dramas, etc. We could go on and on. But since November is a time of being thankful, I wanted to showcase some dramas that are very emotional and tug at the heart and make you think. So I hope everyone will enjoy this month here on Noir & Chick Flicks. And I decided to kick things off with the 1946 classic film The Best Years of Our Lives, which I recently wrote about on my blog, All Good Things.
This is one of my favorite films of all time, sitting right there nestled in my top 10. The story in this film centers on three returning WW Two veterans after the war has ended. Frederic March is Al Stephenson, who returns to his loving wife Milly (a magnificent performance by Myrna Loy), his two children Peggy (a terrific Teresa Wright) and Rob (Michael Hall). Al returns to an influential banking position, but finds it hard to reconcile his loyalties to ex-servicemen with new commercial realities. He has several scenes where he copes by drinking heavily. Dana Andrews is Fred Derry, an ordinary working man who finds it difficult to hold down a job or pick up the threads of his marriage with Virginia Mayo. He ends up falling for Peggy, and Peggy lets her mom know that she doesn't mind busting up the marriage to be with Fred. I was like, heck yeah, go for it Peggy. That's when I fell in love with Teresa Wright at that exact moment. And the last soldier is Homer Parrish (played by real life amputee Harold Russell) who unsure that his fiancée's (Cathy O'Donnell) feelings are still those of love and not those of pity. Each of these three men face a different crisis in their lives and try to cope and come through it emotionally sound. This movie is awesome. I can't find any faults with it. From the top notch cast to the expert direction by William Wyler to the epic music score by Hugo Friedhofer and the gorgeous cinematography by Gregg Toland. The Best Years of Our Lives is one of the best films ever made.
Facts about the film:
In 1946 this became the most successful film at the box office since Gone with the Wind (1939) which was released 7 years earlier.
For his performance as Homer Parrish, Harold Russell became the only actor to win two Academy Awards for the same role.
Myrna Loy receives top billing as she was the most successful female star at the time.
William Wyler, who served as a major in the Army Air Force during World War II, incorporated his own wartime experiences into The Best Years of Our Lives. Just as Fred Derry did in the movie, Wyler flew in B-17s in combat over Germany, although rather than being a bombardier, as Derry was, he filmed footage for documentary films. Additionally, Wyler modeled the reunion of Al and Milly, in which they first see each other at opposite ends of a long hallway, on his own homecoming to his wife, Talli.
This is the first film role for which Cathy O'Donnell, in the role of Wilma Cameron, receives screen credit. Her film debut was in Wonder Man (1945) as an uncredited extra in a nightclub scene.
In 1946 this became the most successful film at the box office since Gone with the Wind (1939) which was released 7 years earlier.
In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked this as the #37 Greatest Movie of All Time.
Samuel Goldwyn was inspired to produce a film about veterans after reading an August 7, 1944 article in Time magazine about the difficulties experienced by men returning home to civilian life. Goldwyn hired war correspondent MacKinlay Kantor to write the screenplay.
The film was directed by William Wyler, with cinematography by Gregg Toland. The film won seven Academy Awards, including those for best picture, director, actor, supporting actor, editing, screenplay, and original score. Cast:Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, and Hoagy Carmichael. It also features Harold Russell, a U.S. paratrooper who had lost both hands in a training accident.
At the end of World War II, three servicemen meet on a flight to Boone City, their hometown. The men, Air Force Captain Fred Derry, sailor Homer Parrish, and Army Sergeant Al Stephenson, quickly become friends, even though they come from different backgrounds. Al is a banker with a wife and two children. Fred is a former soda jerk from the wrong side of the tracks, and Homer, who has lost both hands in the war. As they share a taxi from the airport, they talk about many favorite places they used to hang out at, including a tavern run by Homer's uncle, Butch Engle. Each share their concerns about the future and how they will adapt to civilian life. Just as they expected, each of the veterans faces a crisis on their first day home. I thought this was a very powerful movie, one you will not soon forget..
I posted one of my favorite scenes from the movie.
Fun facts:
Director William Wyler was furious when he learned that Samuel Goldwyn had sent Harold Russell for acting lessons; he preferred Russell's untrained, natural acting.
William Wyler wanted a completely unglamorous look, requiring all costumes to be bought off the rack and worn by the cast before filming, and making sure all sets were built smaller than life-size. In order to give the film a documentary-style realism, the director drew each member of the crew - props, grips, mixers, etc. - from the ranks of WWII veterans.
This was the first time Myrna Loy had worked with William Wyler and she was wary of his reputation as "90-Take Willy". As it turned out, the two got along very well.
In 1946 this became the most successful film at the box office since Gone with the Wind (1939) which was released 7 years earlier.
Myrna Loy receives top billing as she was the most successful female star at the time.
During the wedding scene at the end, Harold Russell fluffed his lines during his vows. Rather that calling cut and ordering a re-take, William Wyler liked how natural it sounded and this was the take used.
Virgina Mayo, worked as a dancer, then signed a contract with Samuel Goldwyn and performed in several movies with Danny Kaye. She played the dream-girl heroine in: Wonder Man (1945), The Kid from Brooklyn (1946) and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947). In her Hollywood heyday, Mayo was known as the voluptuous beauty in the film, The Girl from Jones Beach.
In 1949's White Heat she played the unsympathetic role of "Verna Jarrett", opposite James Cagney. She was also cast against type as a gold digger in, The Best Years of Our Lives. Her film career continued through the 1950s and 1960s, frequently in B-movie westerns and adventure films. While she also appeared in musicals, Mayo's singing voice was always dubbed.
Virginia and her husband, actor Michael O'Shea (of Jack London film fame) co-starred in: Tunnel of Love, Fiorello, and George Washington Slept Here. She has also starred in Cactus Flower, How the Other Half Loves, and the musical comedy, Good News.
In honor of Myrna's birthday, here are my favorite Myrna films
1. THE THIN MAN (1934) 2. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946) 3. AFTER THE THIN MAN (1936) 4. MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE (1948) 5. LOVE CRAZY (1941) 6. LIBELED LADY (1936) 7. THE BACHELOR AND THE BOBBY-SOXER (1947) 8. DOUBLE WEDDING (1937) 9. CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN (1950) 10. MANHATTAN MELODRAMA (1934)
As you can see, Myrna represented the screwball comedy genre well.
Myrna Loy, was first noticed by Rudolph Valentino, when he went to Henery Waxman studio. Valentino, was looking for a leading lady for the film, Cobra. She tested for the role, but lost out to Gertrude Olmstead. Soon after she was hired as an extra for the film, Pretty Ladies. Rambova recommended Loy, for a small role opposite Nita Naldi in the film, What Price Beauty? Photos of Loy in her exotic makeup and costume appeared in a fan magazine which led to a contract with Warner Bros. Loy's silent film roles were mostly, femme fatales or she wore yellow face to appear Asian for the films, Across the Pacific, A Girl in Every Port, The Crimson City, The Black Watch and The Desert Song. It took years for her to overcome this stereotype, and as late as 1932 she was cast in, Thirteen Women. She also performed in small roles in, The Jazz Singer and the musicals, The Show of Shows, The Bride of the Regiment, and Under A Texas Moon. In 1934, Loy performed in, Manhattan Melodrama with Clark Gable and William Powell. After performing with Ramón Novarro in The Barbarian, Loy was cast as Nora Charles in the film, The Thin Man(1934).
The Thin Man(1934), was a comic/detective film where a married couple banter back and forth as they solve crimes. Their dog, the Wire-Haired Fox Terrier Asta, was also a popular character. Director W. S. Van Dyke, at a Hollywood party pushed her into a swimming pool, to test her reaction and her reaction was exactly what he wanted. The Thin Man became one of the year's biggest hits, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film. She and her costar William Powell, performed in fourteen films together. Her successes in Manhattan Melodrama and The Thin Man, became a turning point in her career and she was cast in more important pictures. As Wife vs. Secretary (1936) with Clark Gable and Jean Harlow and Petticoat Fever (1936) with Robert Montgomery. She made four films with William Powell, Libeled Lady (1936), which also starred Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow, The Great Ziegfeld (1936), in which she played Billie Burke. She also made three more films with Clark Gable. Parnell, was an historical drama and was poorly received film of both Loy's or Gable's career, but their other films in, Test Pilot and Too Hot to Handle (both 1938) were successes. By this time Loy was highly regarded for her performances in romantic comedies. She also wanted to prove that she had dramatic ability and was cast in the lead female role in The Rains Came (1939) opposite Tyrone Power. She filmed Third Finger, Left Hand (1940) with Melvyn Douglas. She also performed in, I Love You Again (1940), Love Crazy (1941) and Shadow of the Thin Man (1941), all with William Powell. With the outbreak of World War II, she put aside acting career to work closely with the Red Cross.
Manhattan Melodrama(1934). Director: W. S. Van Dyke. Cast: Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Leo Carrillo, Nat Pendleton, and Isabel Jewell. The movie also provided one of the earliest film roles for Mickey Rooney, who played the Gable character as a child. This is the first of 14 pairings of Myrna Loy and William Powell and the first of three movies they would make together in 1934.
Blackie Gallagher and Jim Wade lose their parents when the General Slocum sinks in New York harbor, and are rescued by Father Joe. A kind man, Poppa Rosen takes the boys in, but a few years later he is trampled by police horses used to break up a riot against the Russian Leon Trotsky.
Years later, Blackie runs a gambling club while Jim has been elected district attorney. Blackie looks up to Jim, even though they are on opposite sides of the law. Blackie's mistress Eleanor tries to convince Blackie to stop gambling and settle down with her. Knowing that he will not change his ways, she decides to marry Jim.
After gambler Manny Arnold is shot, Spud, accidentally left Jim's coat at the scene of the crime, Blackie has Spud bring an exact duplicate that he has had his tailor make to Jim. Soon Jim runs for governor, but his assistant, Richard Snow, tries to pressure him by indicating that the Arnold case makes Jim look like he is mixed up with murderers. The story takes off when Jim has to make the heartbreaking desicion of having to decide whether his friend should live or die. This is one of my favorite Powell performances and Gable's performance is wonderful as the bad guy we all root for.
Isabel Jewell, was a Broadway actress who achieved immediate success in, Up Pops the Devil (1930) and Blessed Event (1932). She was brought to Hollywood for the film version of the latter. Jewell performed in many supporting roles in the early 1930s. She played gangster's women in films, Manhattan Melodrama (1934) and Marked Woman (1937). She also performed well as a seamstress sentenced to death in, A Tale of Two Cities (1935). Her most significant role was as the prostitute Gloria Stone in Lost Horizon (1937). Jewell's films included Gone with the Wind (1939) in the role of "that white trash, Emmy Slattery", Northwest Passage (1940), High Sierra (1941), and The Leopard Man (1943). By the end of her career, Jewell had performed in more than one hundred films, between 1930 and 1971. She also performed in radio dramas in the 1950s, including This is Your FBI. Isabel Jewell played opposite Edie Sedgwick in her biographical/drama CIAO, Manhattan. Her final film was the "B" movie Sweet Kill (1973).
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